Henry Corbin, "Cyclical Time in Mazdaism and Ismailism" (1951)

Our author makes it clear that there can be beings who, although they have in appearance come into this world, since they are there, have in fact never come into it. Inversely - and here the analysis becomes most striking - there are men whom we can visually discern to have left this world. They are dead, they are no longer there. We say: "They have departed." No, actually they have never left this world and will never leave it. For to leave this world it does not suffice to die. One can die and remain in it forever. One must be living to leave it. Or rather, to be living is just this.